Video Marketing Trends for 2019

An overwhelming majority of businesses are satisfied with the ROI of video marketing, according to a survey of more than 160 business owners across the U.S.

Video marketing has been a reliable medium to get people’s attention and get your business’ message across for a while now. And as 2019 continues to unfold, we are getting more and more data signaling its continuing growth and relevance.

Not only are most businesses planning to invest in it this year, but they want to go big.

About two-thirds of business owners plan to make at least three marketing videos this year. Not surprising given that nearly all (87%) of those who invested in video marketing previously are satisfied with their ROI.

Yum Yum Videos surveyed 167 business owners across the U.S. on their video marketing strategy for 2019. How it compared to the previous year, and some additional data on its social media performance.

Some of our findings:

67% of queried businesses are planning to make more than three videos this year.

21% more businesses are engaging in video marketing in 2019.

87% of business owners are satisfied with the ROI of video marketing.

62% of those very same owners stated that video content is either “very important” or “extremely important” for their 2019 marketing campaigns.

80% of queried business owners have invested in explainer videos in the past.

Nearly 50% of businesses noticed a conversion rate boost of over 15% after using explainer videos.

83% are going to invest in explainer videos in 2019.

Social media is the preferred channel to distribute marketing videos.

84% of surveyed business owners had invested in promoting their social videos.

85% stated to be satisfied with the ROI of video marketing in social media.

See the complete list and full analysis below

Most Businesses Are Making More Than 3 Videos in 2019

Among all the video marketing statistics we got from our survey, perhaps the least surprising is that two thirds (67%) of all businesses surveyed are planning to make more than three videos this year.

To get specific, 34% intend to make between three and six videos, 19% between six and ten, and 14% plan to make more than ten videos in 2019.

This increase comes to support the idea that business owners, decision makers, and marketers, are clear on the relevance and importance of a sound video strategy.

Given the potential benefits businesses can get from video marketing (namely, boosts in conversions, increased sales, improved brand awareness, more social media engagement, more traffic and time spent on site), it’s hard to argue their enthusiasm.

Businesses Will Make More Videos in 2019 Than The Previous Year

The drive to develop more video content continues to grow in 2019, with some companies foreseeing to work on over ten videos this year. A sentiment shared to varying degrees by most business decision makers we talked to.

Our survey revealed that this willingness to engage in video marketing represents a 21% increase from 2018’s numbers.

Not only does that show a marked increase on a year-over-year basis, but also suggests qualitative differences that will become even more noticeable in the short and medium term.

Videos Are the Most Effective Type of Content for 2019

Our survey also addressed the confidence most companies are placing in video marketing. 66% of queried business owners think video is the marketing tool that will have the most impact on their 2019 strategy.

And that’s not mere perception, either! You need to only take a look at the most relevant video marketing statistics over the past year to trace the exponential growth video is experiencing across multiple industries and channels.

For instance, there are clear video marketing statistics that indicate people want to see more videos from brands, around 53% of consumers say so. YouTube is getting over 400 hours worth of video each minute. And two of the biggest social media platforms, Facebook and Instagram, have doubled down on their video-first philosophy.

In other words, the table has already been set, and most businesses are already moving to capitalize on the demands of a video-hungry audience.

Video Is Being Regarded as “Extremely Important” for Marketing in 2019

The expectations on video’s success in 2019 aren’t just an expression of desire. There’s a genuine conviction by most business owners that it is the way to go – Not the only one, mind you, but certainly a crucial one.

As evidenced by 62% of those very same owners stating that video content is either “very important” or “extremely important” for their 2019 marketing campaigns.

How come? Well, if the evidence mentioned in the previous video marketing statistics wasn’t enough, consider that videos are directly linked to critical KPIs for brands across most industries.

Most Businesses Using Videos Are After Brand Awareness

When asked to select their top three intended marketing goals for video content, increasing brand awareness came out on top with 53% of respondent including it on their goals. Increasing sales revenue figured second with 39% of the respondents’ votes, and increasing web traffic rounded up the top three with 36% also making it part of their main goals.

Social Media is the Best Channel to Distribute Video Marketing Content

It’s reasonably safe to assume that most video marketers and businesses yearn for one of their videos to go viral. Getting in front of the eyes of millions of people and being discussed by audiences well beyond their initial scope is something that any brand dreams of.

And while that kind of explosive diffusion is very rare, when it does take place social media is invariably involved.

Which is probably why 59% of our respondents chose social media as their preferred channel of distribution for video content.

That said, the expectation of perhaps going viral is far from being the only reason for their choice.

Remember the goals stated in the previous section, increasing brand awareness, sales revenue, and web traffic? All three go hand-in-hand with social media platforms, and there are plenty video marketing statistics that show it.

Obviously, talking this broadly about social media when discussing preferences leaves some important subtleties outside the conversation. Though most marketers think of YouTube as the essential social video platform, all of the most prominent social media sites today have unique benefits that make them more appropriate for businesses depending on particular goals they may pursue.

An Overwhelming Majority of Business Owners Are Satisfied with the ROI of Video Marketing

When we asked business owners if they had been satisfied with the return on investment of their previous video marketing campaign, the response was a resounding Yes!

A whopping 87% of business owners stated to be satisfied with the ROI of a previous video marketing campaign. And when you stop to consider that no two companies (or strategies) work exactly the same, such widespread acceptance becomes even more striking.

Explainer Videos are an Extremely Popular Choice for Businesses

80% of queried business owners have invested in explainer videos in the past.

Want to know why? Probably because they deliver.

Need a bit more evidence? How about the video marketing statistic showing that 95% of people online have watched at least one explainer video to learn more about a product or service.

Customers have grown used to – and expect – these types of videos from brands and most businesses are happy to provide.

Explainer Videos Generate the Most ROI

Another exciting find in our video marketing statistics survey was that 35% of business owners regard Explainer videos as the type that generates more ROI.

Going back to the stats of the previous section, we can’t say we are surprised: People watch explainer videos as bridges to solutions for the issues they want to solve.

And while explainer videos came out on top, they weren’t the only well-regarded type of marketing video. Video Ads took the second place (26%), and Tutorials came up on third (25%).

It’s easy to see why brands trust video ads to get them more exposure and sales – they are meant to do that! Tutorial videos, on their part, have consistently proven to be some of the most popular video types online.

Explainer Videos’ Rate of Satisfaction Is Outstanding

An astonishing 92% of queried business owners are satisfied with their explainer videos’ ROI. In other words, the results they got out of their marketing statistics were as great as they’d expected.

Our survey revealed that 47% of queried business owners saw an increase in conversions of 15% or more. Of that 47%, about a quarter clocked their conversions going up between 35 and 50%, and another quarter stated a marked increase in their conversion rates greater than 50% after using their explainer videos.

Oh, and the other half didn’t do too bad either! With 42% noting a boost in conversions between 5 and 15%.

All in all, about 89% of surveyed business owners saw an increase in their conversions due to their use of explainers. Which speaks to their reliability and performance.

Explainer Videos’ Popularity Continues to Grow in 2019

83% of the businesses we queried are going to invest in an explainer video in 2019. And after seeing our survey’s numbers, it’s easy to see why marketers and company decision makers are choosing to do so.

Most Businesses Use Social Media for Video Marketing

For years now, social media platforms have been part and parcel of the digital marketing game. According to Statistia, 91% of U.S. companies use them actively for marketing. However, we wanted a bit more insight into how this usage related to video content, and the numbers did not disappoint.

83% of surveyed business owners stated having used social media platforms to distribute video marketing content.

Given that almost all prominent social media channels have made significant changes to their platforms to accommodate video, it is to be expected. After all, businesses don’t want to run the risk of having their content being overshadowed by those that do!

YouTube is the Best Social Media Platform for Video Distribution

Even though Facebook has come a long way since Zuckerberg revealed its plans for a video-centric approach, it still has some ways to go before taking the title from the champion: YouTube.

57% of our respondents chose YouTube as the most effective social media platform to distribute video content. Facebook came out in second place with 26% of the votes, and Instagram rounded them up with 15%.

Facebook has been making all the right moves to capture the video enthusiasts, but it still has a long way to go if it really wants to challenge YouTube’s position at the top of the video world. That said, both Facebook and Instagram present a valid alternative for businesses with an already established presence there.

Especially when you stop to consider some of the other video marketing statistics we found in regards to those platforms.

YouTube Leads the Charge in Conversion Rates for Marketing Videos

Granted, this edge is rather small, as the second most popular choice was Facebook with 35% of the votes. Instagram came up as the top third choice, with a respectable 25% of the votes.

Facebook Generates More Interactions with Videos

While YouTube is regarded as the best one for conversions, when it came to user interactions Facebook was the undisputed favorite.

39% of our respondents agreed that Facebook was the social media channel to generate user interactions with video marketing content. In this regard, Instagram came second with 32% of the responses, and YouTube rounded up the top three with 26%.

There are plenty of reasons for this, not the least of which is the aforementioned push by Facebook’s leadership to shift to a more video-oriented focus. Something that has been in motion for over four years now, and has strived to make video content essential to the service.

It’s a move that has clearly impacted Facebook’s algorithms, favoring video content in its users’ walls. On top of that, the auto-play and native uploading features have made it easier for audiences to discover videos and kept them watching.

Among other marketing statistics for Facebook’s performance, you have that its users favor video content over static content on a ratio of 5:1. Also, the average engagement rate for Facebook´s video posts is 6% – Higher than photo posts (4.81%), link posts (3.36%) and plain status posts (2.21%).

Not all answer choices shown

There are plenty of reasons for this, not the least of which is the aforementioned push by Facebook’s leadership to shift to a more video-oriented focus. Something that has been in motion for over four years now, and has strived to make video content essential to the service.

It is a move that has clearly impacted Facebook’s algorithms, favoring video content in its users’ walls. On top of that, the auto-play and native uploading features have made it easier for audiences to discover videos and kept them watching.

Among other evidence for Facebook’s performance, you have that its users favor video content over static content on a ratio of 5:1. Also, the average engagement rate for Facebook´s video posts is 6% – Higher than photo posts (4.81%), link posts (3.36%) and plain status posts (2.21%).

Instagram Provides the Best ROI for Video Marketing

So, when it comes to video marketing, YouTube is the go-to platform to generate conversions, while Facebook’s the one to choose if you are after user interaction. What about Instagram? Well, it seems to be ahead of the others on the topic of ROI (granted, the margins appear to be pretty even)

35% of the surveyed businesses chose Instagram as the social media platform with higher ROI on their marketing strategy. Facebook followed with 33%, and YouTube got 28% of the votes.

All things considered, there isn’t that much difference between the three contenders in the matter of return on investment, which is actually good news. It means businesses are pretty much free to go for their platform of choice in this regard.

Top Three Types of Video for Social Media: Video Ads, Explainer Videos, and Tutorials

When we asked business owners to choose the type of video they felt worked best for social media; the top three became evident: Video Ads (39%), Explainer Videos (29%) and Tutorials (19%) – which absolutely makes sense.

All three of those types of videos are staples in a robust video marketing strategy, and tackle different stages of the buyer’s journey down a sales funnel.

In other words, a basic video marketing kit including explainer videos, ads, and tutorials would have all bases covered, especially if social is the medium of distribution.

Social-oriented Videos Are Best Kept Under a Minute Long

Any video marketing company would be keenly aware of it already, but it seems that other businesses have already caught up to it too: Videos work best when kept short and to the point.

Our survey revealed that 53% of queried businesses consider the ideal length for social videos to lie between 30 seconds and 1 minute. Which coincidentally matches the lower ends of explainers and the higher end of most video ads.

Regardless of the channel, brevity is usually the way to go in marketing. In social media, however, this axiom becomes that much more critical.

Most Businesses Invest in Social Media to Promote Their Videos

It might come as a surprise, but it seems that the practice of promoting your content in social media has become a lot more popular. Overwhelmingly so even.

84% of business owners we surveyed had invested money in different forms of promotion for their social videos.

Seeing such a rate of acceptance for the practice speaks volumes by itself. But the number is made that much more impressive in the light of the following statistic.

Most Businesses Are Satisfied with Their Video Marketing ROI in Social Media

Return on investment is a fundamental concept for any marketing venture, and video marketing is no exception. Good news is that most people engaging in it seem to be getting their money’s worth!

85% of the queried business owners stated to be satisfied with the ROI of video marketing in social media. Which is a vast majority of respondents backing up social media’s ability to pay off your investment in regards to video content.

About the Survey

Yum Yum Videos surveyed 167 business owners across the U.S. planning to invest in video marketing in 2019. 65% of respondents were male, and 34% were female. Roughly 40% are millennials (ages between 18 and 29), and 59% are Generation X (ages between 30 and 44).